


A Different Kind of Fight

by orphan_account



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fights, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tessa and Morgan have an argument, kind of.
Relationships: Morgan Rielly/Tessa Virtue
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	A Different Kind of Fight

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy! Comments are always welcome.

Tessa was in the bed alone. It was a fight, technically. There was no screaming or even an argument but things definitely weren’t okay between them. 

She could remember exactly how it started out. They were making dinner and talking about what they would do at the end of quarantine. Staying at home for two months changed her. She was considering putting roots down, something she never even let herself consider before. Being here though, being with someone she loved without having to pack up and leave the very next day was addicting. She knew it wouldn’t last forever though. Morgan would go back to hockey and back to being on the road. She would inevitably travel more for work too once the borders opened. She was anxious about the fact they would go back to being away from each other for months on end and only having a day or two together, a week at most. Of course, she didn’t say that out loud. She was in her own head for the entire cooking process, barely saying a word. 

“Tess, what's wrong? You’ve been quiet today,” Morgan asked quietly. His voice snapped her out of a trans she didn’t even know she entered. 

“What? Oh nothing. Just have some things on my mind,” she responded flippantly, hoping he would let it go. She knew she could tell him anything but she didn’t think she was able to put the issue into words just yet. 

“Want to tell me about it? Maybe I can help,” he responded. His voice was gentle, trying to coax into opening up gently. 

“It’s nothing, Morgan, really,” she responded, finality in her tone. 

He dropped it after that. They finished their pasta in an uncomfortable silence. This was unheard of for them. Normally they would chat idly, or he would tease her about her cooking skills, or lack thereof. The only thing you could hear today was the stirring of the pasta sauce and the sound of the spaghetti being poured into the strainer. 

During dinner, Tessa tried to save it. She tried to ask him how his day was, but he gave one-word responses. She then moved onto suggesting an activity for the evening, but he didn’t bite with that topic either. Once they finished the dishes, she knew she had to do something They couldn’t go on like this all night. She repeated his question from earlier. 

“Morg, are you okay?” She asked tentatively. He looked up and looked at her tensely for a second before responding. 

“I can’t say I am, T. There’s obviously something going on with you, but you refuse to tell me. I’ve been patient about letting you get there in your own time, but you’ve been resigned for the last few days. I want to help but you won’t let me,” he said, frustration clear in his voice. She looked down and took a deep breath before responding. She was on the verge of crying, but she needed to push through it. They needed to talk about this. 

“I’m sorry. I know I've been distant but I’m just processing. I’m not sure I can put what I'm feeling into words right now,” she admitted. 

He walked up to her then and took her face in his hands. Morgan searched her face for a long moment, wiping tears she didn’t know she shed. He sighed and moved to comfort her. He didn’t want her to be sad, no matter what. 

“Don’t cry, Tess,” he whispered softly. He pulled her into a warm bear hug, wrapping his arms securely about her shoulders and overlapping his own huge arms until he was basically crushing her. She didn’t mind though. Being in his arms made her feel safe, even now when things weren’t great between them. Morgan rocked her gently and moved one arm to rub her back. After a while he pulled back and cradled her face in his hands once more. 

“I’m going to give you some space tonight, okay? I’ll sleep on the couch. I’m here if you need me though. I love you, Tess,” he said softly, leaving her with a soft kiss to her forehead. 

Tessa looked after him as he left the kitchen, feeling empty. She sniffed and shook her head. No more crying. She decided to go upstairs and get ready for bed. It was early but she doubted either of them would get very much sleep no matter what time it was. 

She walked up the stairs, sparing a look back once she was at the halfway point; to find Morgan spreading a blanket on the sofa. He gave her a soft, sad smile before looking away and grabbing the remote. She could hear the sport highlights as she reached the top of the stairs and walked into the bedroom, their bedroom. Tessa went through her night routine quickly, not having the energy to use to process to wind down like she usually would. After washing her face and moisturising she walked into the room to change. She made quick work of changing into pajama pants and one of his shirts before crawling into bed. 

Tessa fluffed the pillows and arranged one behind her back, so the big bed didn’t feel so empty. She tried to close her eyes, but sleep evaded her. She tossed and turned for hours before just giving up. She wasn’t sleeping like this and she doubted he was either. 

Tessa grabbed a throw blanket from the bottom of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before walking back downstairs. She was going to talk to him. It didn’t matter how concisely she expressed herself, he didn’t care. The only thing bugging him was that something was happening to her and she didn’t to tell him. 

She tip-toed after taking the last step in case he was asleep. He wasn’t though. 

“Tess, what’s up?” he asked. He looked sleepy, but like her he probably couldn’t sleep. Tessa walked up to the sofa and sat in front of it. She sat sideways resting her head on the sofa cushion, inches from his face. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t know how to put it into words. I’ll try though, it’s just going to be a jumbled mess,” she said with a watery laugh. He gave her a small smile and feathered his fingers down her cheek. 

“Go ahead, baby, take your time,” he encouraged softly. Tessa nodded before starting. 

“I’ve just been thinking about life after quarantine and how we’ll have to go back to spending so much time apart. This time has been so beneficial. Not only is it the first time I’ve been home for more than two weeks, but I’ve got to spend so much uninterrupted time with you. I’m excited to see my family once we can travel but I’m not excited to spend all this time apart when life starts up again. I’m sorry for making you mad. I just get in my own head sometimes,” she admitted. It felt good to get it out but she delivered the whole speech looking down at the sofa. She didn’t know if she was ready to see his expression. He didn’t let her avoid his gaze for much longer though. 

“Tessa, look at me,” he commanded. It was soft though, like he was trying not to push her too hard. She looked up to find a soft look in his eyes. He wasn’t angry or frustrated like she expected. Morgan moved his hands from her cheek into her hair. He never stopped touching her through her speech. His fingers moved back and forth slowly, trying to sooth in whatever way he could. 

“Baby, we can work that out. I’m not mad at you though. Why would I be? I was just worried something was wrong and there was nothing I could do to help,” he said softly. She knew that. Sometimes she just let it build and build until her mind conjured up something that barely resembled a realistic reaction. 

“I know, I’m sorry for not talking to you. I just didn’t want you to feel guilty. Our careers are important, and we love them. I didn’t want to make you re-think anything,” Tessa admitted. 

“Tess, I know it's going to be hard to go back to normal after spending all this time together, but I’m not going anywhere,” he shook her shoulders playfully with a silly grin on his face, “you’re not getting rid of me.” 

Tessa giggled, poking his dimple with her point finger. He snapped at her finger playfully with his teeth and she let out one of her big laughs, pulling her hand away. He became serious again before continuing. 

“We’ll figure out a schedule to allow us to spend more time together. It will be okay, I promise. I need you to talk to me about this stuff though. I know you get into your head and try to figure it out up there before coming to me. I can help though, maybe if you come to me when things are still muddled, I can help un-muddle them, or try at least,” he said wryly. 

“You don’t have to shoulder this stuff alone, that’s what I'm here for,” he reassured. 

Morgan tugged on Tessa’s arm and sat up on the sofa, prompting her to stand up and pulling her onto his lap when she did. She moved straddling him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Tessa then gave him a kiss. It was a simple kiss, a promise. 

“Okay, we can try that,” she agreed softly, resting her forehead against his. 

Morgan wrapped her arms around her waist and buried his head in the crook of her neck for a long moment. Her hand moved to his hair and scratched his scalp. She laughed softly when he let out a contented moan. They sat like that for a moment before he lifted his head and smacked a loud kiss to her lips. 

“Alright miss Virtue let’s go upstairs,” he called, speaking loudly through her laugh. He loved her big laugh more than anything. 

Tessa tightened her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he stood up and carried her up the stairs. Once in their bedroom, he lifted her up in the air, dislodging her legs and threw her onto the bed. She let out another laugh before crawling under the covers once again. He chuckled with her and walked to the other side of the bed. 

Once they were settled Morgan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her so her back was flush with his chest. 

“I love you, Morg,” she called softly, cuddling back into him. 

“I love you too, baby. Get some sleep,” he responded, nuzzling her neck. They closed their eyes, finally finding the sleep that was evading them. 

Tessa woke up well rested the next morning. The first thing she did was look behind her but Morgan was gone. She was confused for a second before hearing a cheerful whistle downstairs and the unmistakable smell of coffee brewing. It didn’t take much else to get her out of bed. She threw on jumper that was hanging on a chair on the side of the room before walking down the stairs to join him. 

He was pouring himself a cup of coffee when she entered the kitchen. 

“Good morning, pretty girl,” he greeted cheerfully.


End file.
